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What are you waiting for?
These days have been extremely clouded for me... and I could've sworn the last ounce of faith that I had in God went down the drain.. then I wake up to this chapter of my favorite book in the Bible.. and it gave me the deep realization of the spiritual warfare that is going on.
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
12Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
James 1: 2-4, 12
One of the reasons I chose the name "endure the flames" revolves around the concept of.. never let circumstance define who you are, but define circumstance through domination by humility. Waiting.. is a skill that brings so many answers to alot of mysteries.. but it's more than just revelation that one must seek.. I've understood during the years as a christian why is it so important to never break your cool.. to always love whenever there is no reason to do so. It's easy to love someone that is kind to you.. it's harder to separate the sin from the person and loving them for who they really are. Most religious or motivational speakers, do this huge mistake, they try to change you or give you the perception THAT YOU MUST CHANGE NOW.. it's bullshit.. we all have a completely different design.. for a purpose I will never fathom. But one thing is true, this perseverance through faith (wich should always be expressed through love) is a huge part of the ascension that lies in this heart of mine. I know I'm not a preacher or a saint, I never desired this... all I ever wanted was to know what it's like to love like God loves his creation, we'll never understand why bad things happen to good people, or why people that don't deserve anything in life gain more ritches than anyone else... one thing is certain.. we all die.. but it's not about death.. it's about how you chose to live.
This is the reason I write this.. it's up to you to decide to live..
to breathe life when all hope is gone..
to love your brother.. when they decide to stop loving you or even worse.. stabbing you in the back.. (one must understand the necessity of never throwing pearls to the swine ** Matthew 7: 6)
to establish patience.. when searchin for an answer.. (proverbs 3:5-6)
All i know is i will never let circumstance define who I am, i will never let my emotions drive me.. I wish to ascend.. to not conform to the patterns of this world or my mind.. for we all have a design that no one will ever fully grasp. To forgive your brother is to love. To live in faith is to persevere. And faith is pretty much useless without love. (Galatians 5:6)
5 This is what the LORD says:
"Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who depends on flesh for his strength
and whose heart turns away from the LORD.
6 He will be like a bush in the wastelands;
he will not see prosperity when it comes.
He will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
in a salt land where no one lives.
7 "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.
8 He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit."
9 The heart is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?
10 "I the LORD search the heart
and examine the mind,
to reward a man according to his conduct,
according to what his deeds deserve."
Honor is central to warriorship. It's a concept common to all warrior groups, regardless of the cultures in which they formed. Whether you call it Bushido, The Code of Chivalry, or something different, all fighting men and women aspire to ethical codes guiding the manner in which they practice the profession of arms and how they live their lives.
Given the moral nature of these codes, they are compatible with most religions and are often mistaken for doctrines of religious origin. However, warrior honor is not based on religion.
Warriors aren't honorable because they fear a wrathful god. They are honorbale because it's a practical requirement of their profession. They are honorbale because it's the most powerful way to live. Most of all, warriors are honorable because to be otherwise is cowardly!
Whether you are a military member or not, personal honor is just as important. Studying the martial arts makes you stronger than your non-warrior peers, and you're much more capable of injuring those around you. Without the moral compass that honor provides, citizen-warriors can be dangerous indeed. Only honor separates the warriors from the thugs.
Honor is a term many people use but few understand. For most, the word still conjures up scenes of duels or military exploits, but people are hard pressed to explain exactly what role honor plays in these adventures. In other words, they can usually describe situations in which someone did or didn't acthonorably, but they can't quite say why what that person did was or wasn't honorable.
Many equate honor to honesty; if you tell the truth and pay your debts you're honorable. Others link honor to their reputations. If they are respected in their comunities or peer groups, they feel their honor is intact. Unfortunately, while some of these issues do relate to honor, others have nothing to do with it at all.
Indeed, truth, self-restraint, loyalty, and the other virtues are honorable. But practicing one or more of these ideals doesn't necessarily ensure one is a man or woman of honor - at least not in the warrior model.
To recognize and practice warrior honor, one must understand it. Warrior honor is founded on three basic tenets:
1. Obligation
2. Justice
3. Courage
*** The book "Living the Martial Way: How to Develop attitudes based on the ancient Asian martial arts by Forrest E. Morgan can show you more details regarding this attitude. I'm posting this info to not just intrigue you about an honorable attitude towards life, but in this book you will find ways to control your weakness and not vice versa. I would love to type all this book down for you all, but that would mean I'd be stealing from this kat who wrote the book... anyhow.. the point is this.. read more into this so you can be a dominant species and not just a statistic (to limit yourself to the expectations either from stereotype or from anyone/anything that has stopped you from going further in your life). Because after walking in this path, still a student btw :p, my eyes were open to the damage we allow ourselves to run into.
Understand the concept of the Driven.. Am I driven by my weakness when I am not my best, or am I capable to differentiate a mistake from who I am?
There are many things in this book that will encourage you to keep learning more on the way of the Warrior Model and/or lead you deeper into martial arts. But like I said, it's all a choice, and by that we set our constitution every day.
- - some mental training for yourself:
Think hard on what drives you to weakness, and ask yourself do I want to be this way all my life, or do I want to rip off these chains you've allowed to snare you from enjoying the gift of God we call life?
